The Lady in Red
by Limerantic
Summary: This fan-written story offers many things, such as an origin to The Lady in Red, Mary, the Hanged Man, Ib and her family. The perspectives change from chapter to chapter. Mainly, the stories follow two Original Characters, (C)lair and (D)anny, but will also follow (M)ary and her (B)unny. To ease confusion, follow the parenthesized letter of the chapter's title.
1. Foreword (L)

Hi there! This story is _The Lady in Red_, and it tells a story about how "The Lady in Red" came to be. It also goes over a couple of theories of how "Mary" and "The Hanged Man" came to be.

This message is right before the actual story for one real reason.

The story gets rather complicated, having multiple point of views. The small description wasn't enough to explain this to its entirety, but now that all four of th planned narration styles have been created, I feel that this would be a good time to tell you about this.

I will admit, I gotten way too far with the story to fix it to reduce confusion. Just the first five chapters contained approximately six thousand words. So, instead, here's what I propose you do.

Look at the chapter title, and look at the letter within the parenthesis. That is one singular style of narration. It would be much less confusing to follow one letter, or one point of view all the way through, opposed to following all of them at once.

Each different style of narration has their flaws, both in my actual writing and the actual narrator. The former... that can't be helped, except with writing more and more. The latter was just something I wanted to try this. It's similar to _Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist_, where the point of view switches between the two main characters, but I took it one step further.

Also, I'll say that following any given letter, aside from (L), will yield the entire story. You'll know more or less what important thing would happen to each important character. There won't ever be a point where something big goes unsaid in one story, unless the character involved has no way of knowing what that "big something" is.

Finally, these are the narration styles for each letter.

(B): This is in the perspective of Bunny. The way the story is told is in poetry.

(C): This is in the perspective of Clair. The way the story is told is in third-person, semi-restricted.

(D): This is in the perspective of Danny. The way the story is told is in retrospective first-person.

(M): This is in the perspective of Mary. The way the story is told is in first-person, actions and thoughts only.

(L): This is in the perspective of Limerantic, or me. I do not have anything to do with the story.

Thank you for understanding, and enjoy the story, though I feel like I should say stories... enjoy!

-Limerantic :D


	2. Clair's Entrance (C)

"I did my research on this museum. There are so many of Guertena's works there. I don't get it. How can one person donate nearly everything created by him, without any sort of affiliation? How many works does this person even have? It's crazy. You have to give me my chance to investigate. I already took the liberty of getting a search warrant for the museum and everything. I need to find out who this 'anonymous benefactor' is, why he donated all of Guertena's work, and most importantly, where he got it all. Please." Detective Clair pleaded to her boss, the chief of police.

The gruff man looked the part as the chief. He was very short, with dark balding hair. His face was as rough as a brick wall. He always frowned, with a quarter of his lip sewn from an earlier incident. He didn't look like he is someone worth messing with. He wore a long-sleeved button-down polo, but, of course, had his sleeves rolled up. With the lack of cloth on his hairy arms revealed a couple of scars, someone who has seen many, many events in his past. He also donned a pair of black slacks, looking new and fresh. His feet were covered with black and white striped socks, but oddly, no shoes. He must have taken them off. After all, office life can get very stressful after several traumatic events.

With one word, the chief simultaneously struck fear in Clair and gave her a little bit of hope. "Yes," he replied. Although he only looked angrier and more frustrated, Clair smiled gladly and walked out of office, shaking out of anticipation, fear, and happiness. She turned around one last time. His office was completely empty aside from his desk, and well, him. Clair walked out of the building and began her way to the museum.

When she arrived to the museum, she walked up to the wrought-iron gate. The gate surprisingly lost part of the black paint and saw the bare metal sticking out. Undaunted, she pushed the gate door. The gate didn't budge. She pushed harder and harder, so much so that her hands were covered with paint chips. The gates remained rooted in place. Clair wiped her hands, and let out a little chuckle. She pulled on the gate, and the once unmovable gate yielded. She looked on the ground around the gate. The concrete was completely untouched by the gate on the outside of the compound, yet the dirt clumped up on the inside where the gate would swing to. _Odd_, she thought. She walked into the museum grounds, and closed the gate.

She looked at the museum. The museum, with its beautiful, white-painted exterior and pristine window panes, looks like it never aged a day. The greenery looked very well maintained, with deep green grass and rich brown soil underneath healthy shrubbery. _Huh. Considering the museum was fully built by last year, I'm surprised it looks this great,_ e_specially considering the gate._ The sign in the front of the museum boasted having more than one hundred pieces of art from Guertena. _Perfect. _Clair placed her right hand on her holster, only to realize that her gun isn't in there. She turned right around, and pushed the gate. It didn't budge. _What?_ She tried again. _Nothing._ After pondering on the situation, she tried pulling the gate. The gate seemed to be glued in place. The gate isn't moving.

_No... this can't be. Hmm... I got an idea._ Clair walked towards the chromium plated door, and turned around. With a deep breathe, she dashed towards the gate, and leaped. Clair made it over the gate. _Oogh... that was a tough jump._ She blacked out momentarily. Her body seemed oddly fatigued from that jump, although she has trained to do physical feats much greater than that.

Once she fully recovered from that leap, something even more peculiar occurred to her. She wasn't on the other side of the gate. _Wait... my jump was good enough to clear the fence. Why am I still within the front part of the museum?_ Clair got up, and examined herself. No physical injury was on her body, but her energy was drained. _I guess there's no choice. Got to head in without my gun._ With that last thought, she pushed the door of the museum open. There was nothing but darkness. Wiping a little bit of sweat off of her forehead, she reached towards the darkness for a light switch of any kind. She couldn't find anything. She reaches into her pocket, and pulls out a small flashlight. Clair shined it into the darkness, and by chance, she saw a switch. With one flick of the switch, the darkness was illuminated to reveal the museum's contents.

The museum was very white and elegant. There were no stains or dirt, no trace of footprints, not even a sign of any of the donated works of art. There were no sign of life, let alone any one person. Well, no sign except for the reception desk. The reception desk was the only thing in the gallery that seemed to be anything aside from white. In fact, the reception desk was the only object in the gallery. The desk had a small black notebook opened to the centerfold. Clair glanced inside, and only saw a small little blot in the upper left hand corner of the page on the left. She opened it to find nothing else. She found the page with the centerfold, and carefully placed it back on the table. _Hmm... I should look around for anything else. I don't think I'll be needing that gun after all..._ Despite being alone, unarmed and generally defenseless, Clair felt an odd comfortable feeling in the museum. _It's a little funny actually. This place, even though I swear that I never been here, it's just so... familiar._

Clair scoured through the entire first floor. She found nothing. Nothing but white, smooth walls; beautiful white tiled floors, white moldings depicting a rose design, and crystal clear lights. _So much white. My eyes hurt. _She walked up the stairs. _Ugh. More white._ Clair turned around the stairs. _White. _She walked forwards, to another section of the gallery. Clair continued to look around. _More white walls, more white floors, more white ceilings, more ridiculously bright lights... I'm getting a headache._ She staggered forward. _Too... much... white..._

Clair collapsed.


	3. Thoughts before Death (D)

You know how when you're gonna die, your life flashes right before your eyes? I think that time is now. Primarily, I just can't help but to think about the events that occurred just today. Seriously, things just went up and down. It's really freaking weird, but you'd think I would be reflecting on my entire life. Well, I guess today is good enough for a reflection.

The first thing I remember was being stuck in this jail cell. I was jailed for attempted robbery and... well... attempted assault on a cashier in a cafe. He wouldn't give me the money, and I thought he could be convinced if he had a baseball bat to the head. Too bad I didn't see that stupid woman behind me. She had to be some good-doer, didn't she? It wasn't really a tragic thing though. Family is either dead or hates me, dropped out of school, only friend outside of this wretched building is some gay guy named Garry. I don't care if he said he isn't like that, because he certainly acts and looks like it.

One thing I can say about him is that he's really nice, being gay and all. He dropped on by from time to time, and gave me some actual food. Food, like ramen and pizza, with a side of herbal tea! That's just fantastic. I missed being outside, but hey, what can you do? Only wished he could bail me out or something.

Back to the story, the jail guard just looked at me and opened the door. He started spouting out some nonsense about me being a terrible person, but frankly, he should listen to himself speak. My God, he needs to learn to just shut up. But the one little thing he actually said to me was what got me to stand up. "By the way, we're moving you to the basement."

I remember wanting to just take this chump's neck and breaking it. At least I was on the first floor, able to see the outside world. In that dirty basement, there's nothing there. Nothing but crap. Crap beds, crap chairs, crap food, and that means I'll become crap. I'm not going there again.

I walked out with this guy, trying to see if I can make a run for it. We're walking down the stairs, and suddenly, I see the exit. I just stopped walking, and the guard just yells some more. I didn't pay attention to what he said. I just knew I'm getting out of here.

Before he realized, I grabbed his nightstick, and whacked him once on the head. He fell over, and stayed down. What a wimp. He wasn't even bleeding, and this is when he passes out? Whatever. I'll take it. I'm gonna walk out a free man!

Before I left, I tried looking for better clothes. It was a nice day, but one layer of prison clothes is just asking for trouble. There was a walk-in closet next to the exit. The only things I found were a pair of ugly looking green pants and a black long coat. Perfect.

After I walked in, I closed the door, changed my pants, and put on the coat to hide my prison clothes. I hung that junk up like a professional. No one would suspect me. Then, I hear a voice outside. Great, another one of those guards. I didn't have anything to help me. It was okay though. The guard opened the door, and I played the part as the innocent little fool. I think that was a new guy, because I've been in there for about three months, and he didn't recognize me. He just thought I was done visiting. Idiot.

So, once I leave, I just jump for joy. Literally. It was so movie-worthy, I'd an award for that moment. Of course though, life just gotta come back and bite you in your little donkey. I see a cop car stop nearby, and I nearly made a ton of bricks. Stinky, smelly, brown bricks.

Seriously though, I tell you. Fate is just a dirty little mistress that wants something: your sanity. You know who comes out of this cop car? The very woman that busted me three months back. We were right next to this museum, and freaking hell it sucked having her that close to me. I just watched her try to open a gate. Is she retarded? Push once, pull once, not push with all your might, pull once you realize it's pull. The end. But... a true opportunity risen in front of me. It's something I noticed as she just walked in. She forgot her gun. And she closed the gate. I'm gonna get her.

I walked towards her car, and saw that the door was locked. I looked through the gate, and no one was there. Not even that woman. Of course, I was so hellbent on getting her head served to me on a silver platter, so where she was didn't really concern me. I broke the glass, and as life would have it, the cop car's siren went off.

I opened the door, grabbed the gun, and dashed towards another part of the museum. I saw a door somewhere in the back of the museum, and decided just to hop over the gate. The museum was deserted. I tried to open the door. Bingo. It opened. No locks, no alarms... I guess I could steal some stuff from the museum, kill that woman, man. Life couldn't be getting any better, even with all of that bull I had to put up with.

I remember looking outside the gate one last time. The cop car's siren went off as soon as I jumped over, and I saw no one. It's perfect. I know I say it's perfect a lot, but it is! I thought it would've been a quick an' easy run. Of course, if it truly were, I wouldn't be freaking dying right now.

So yeah. I walked in, and, I gotta tell you, it was dark in there. I couldn't see my own feet. I must have kicked something glass or something, because there was something in there that just shattered. As soon as I broke something, the door outside just closed. Crap. Now I'm stuck in the dark.

I started freaking out, and I used the gun to fire multiple times in the general direction of the door. I shouldn't have closed my eyes here, but I was starting to get a little scared. Or a lot scared. You be the judge. Maybe kill the person that locked me in, and make my fears go away. I must have hit something, because I felt something splatter on me. I thought it was blood, but as it turns out, it was too thick. I have felt someone's blood on my hands in the past, and this wasn't blood. I thought it was glue. I fired one more shot, just to see my hands.

Black paint. It was black paint on me. I tried firing once more. Nothing. I ran out of bullets. Oh no. This isn't good.

What happened after was a little foggy. I saw two red orbs with a small dark orb in the middle out of the darkness, and it started shining more and more. I thought at first it was just a trippy lighting thing, since this is a museum and frankly, I didn't know what kind of museum this was. And then, my eyes started freaking out. All I saw was a blue face grinning at me, and then all red, which transitioned slowly to black. I started feeling soft... fluff, surround my body. I couldn't breathe, let alone smell anything. But I do remember hearing bells toll, slowly getting lower... slowly getting grimmer, and finally, a loud shriek. I think that's when I passed out.

Frankly, I thought right then and there is when I would have died. Sadly, with the way things are now, I wish I was going to die like that.


	4. The Monsters Within (C)

Clair awakens in a dark purple room. The room was completely empty, with the exception of a small chandelier illuminating the room with small, bouncing flames and an interesting painting of a girl. She is smiling gleefully, with her eyes closed and face scrunched up. Her long, midnight blue hair seemed to flow so much, it popped out of the painting and real life.

Clair looked at this girl, and decided to feel the painting's hair. It felt soft. Upon closer inspection, the hair wasn't damaged at all. _No split ends, well conditioned, even smelled a little fruity. This hair is... real?_ "Welcome." A girl's familiar high-pitched voice chimed in, happily.

Clair jumped back and fell over. The girl who seemed so still aside from her hair had her eyes opened, and looking at Clair. The sclera of the painting's eye is baby blue, and her pupil is completely black. _What... is this place?_ Clair was so confused at this point, she never even realized what she was on when she got up.

"Keep the rose safe, sister," the painting advised. "You and the rose are unified. Know the weight of your own life." Clair said nothing. She had no idea how to respond. So, the girl continued. "When the rose wilts, so too will you rot away." Clair looked at her in bewilderment. She never imagined a painting coming to life, let alone giving advice on how to stay alive. So, she paced around looking at the girl. The girl stopped smiling and looked at Clair as she continuously searched for a reason why this painting could move. _I want to think of her as an actual person, but she has no depth. After looking at her from different sides... it's completely flat. If it were an actual person behind a glass wall, she'd have depth, at least between the bronze frame and her. It's not a television either... what is this?_ "Who are you?" Clair cried.

"I'm one of your sisters. Don't you recognize me?" Clair thought and pondered on her question. _ The voice rang a bell, but I can't pin the voice with a name. Hmm..._ "I'm sorry... I don't know who you are. What is your name?" The girl remained silent. The room remained absolutely motionless. It was as if the room was stuck in time.

The hair protruding out of the painting slowly receded inwards. The blue-haired girl started sobbing softly. Small streams of liquid starting pouring out of the painting. Clair walked slowly towards the liquid and felt it. It felt watery. Having a small droplet on her finger, it glistened with the flame's light. Looking even closer, the once sobbing girl now looked like she was inhaling deeply. Clair looked up.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" The girl screeched. All at once, a strong gale pushed Clair into the wall, and began crushing her. Her feet weren't touching the floor either. "HOW CAN YOU FORGET ME? HOW CAN YOU FORGET ALL OF US, ALL OF YOUR SISTERS? WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY! HOW CAN YOU BE SO COLD-HEARTED AND FOOLISH AND STUPID? HOW COULD YOU EVEN TAKE OFF THE DRESS WE GAVE YOU FOR ANOTHER DRESS?" Clair looked down in response to the malevolently high pitched voice. She was, in fact, wearing a beautiful white dress. The white rose that Clair neglected to pick up was being pushed on to her. A petal fell off and started circulating around the room. A pain surged up her spine and into her heart. She gritted her teeth in utter pain as the girl continued to scream.

She tried breathing, but it caused the feeling of gaseous fire going through her lungs. Two more petals fell off. _It... hurts... so much... What did... I do? The... the rose is... it is my... my... my life..._ Clair strained to cup her hand over the wilting rose. The force was so strong, her fingers were gyrating over the supremely strong force on her. One more petal flew off. Blood began spouting from her gritting teeth. However, the pain, though great, stopped growing. The demonic painting screeched even louder, and the wall itself broke, pushing Clair through. Clair was slammed onto another wall, and another petal fluttered to the floor. All at once, the hole created in the room with the girl closed itself off, and a door slowly grew in size in its place. Clair fell forward and face first, onto the maroon floor.

Clair's ears were ringing. She became light headed, and couldn't maintain her balance. She fell to the floor, still convulsing from the sheer pain that she had just been through. Her nails began digging through the plastered floor. Her breathing was unstable and irregular. Her eyes were bloodshot, and small droplets started to fall. The first droplet fell on the floor. She looked at it, and she saw herself. But only in that droplet, she also saw the girl in the painting.

_She _does_ look familiar. It's pathetic that I needed to cry to recognize her. But... who is she? _Clair gulped, and got up. Her body was still in pain. She was still trembling out of agony and dread. But, she still slowly crept towards the door, and tried opening it. The door remained shut, just like the gate. There was no moving it. Clair sighed, though it came out as another erratic breathe.

"Excuse me?" Clair knocked on the door. "I'm sorry. I do recognize you. It's just that..." Clair paused. _I need to think of a good way of telling her that I don't know her... Or else she might go crazy again and kill me._ "I... I lost my m-memory. T-that's all." Clair's voice began to tremble again. She wasn't just scared. She was petrified.

"Really sis?" A high-pitched voice came from the door. "Did you really lose your memory?" Clair scratched her head slowly. _It's either that I lost my memory, or I never knew to begin with. Might as well. _"Yes. I am telling the truth. I lost my memory." Silence. For a time, no sounds were made from the room. The sounds heard were made from Clair. Her shallow but shaky breathing, an occasional cracking of her dainty wrist and fingers, even her own heartbeat. Finally, the door sounded like it unlocked. The walls surrounding her transitioned from dark purple to a midnight blue, much like the girl's sclera.

Clair reached for the handle. The painting from inside called. "Toss your rose in." Clair looked at her rose. Her rose is pure white, with a slender green stem. There isn't any thorns or leaves branching out. This rose is, in essence, completely harmless. However, the rose was slightly wilted and only had a couple of petals left. _If what the girl said was true, and if she wanted to kill me, I definitely will have this rose wilted and I will... rot? But... Her voice sounds nicer again, and its like I heard this voice as a child. Why do I feel like trusting her? _Clair gently threw her rose into the room, and closed the door. "This is your rose... I won't play 'Loves me, Loves me not.' Here." The door opens, and the rose plopped on the floor. All the white petals are back in place, and the flower looks healthy once more. The door clicked.. Clair checked the door, and it was indeed locked.

_Funny she mentioned that._ Clair began to smile. _I used to pluck flowers when I was a kid just to play that game. _Clair started chuckling. _My fingers would just start feeling these lovely petals, and pluck them one by one... _Her fingers felt the soft, white petals._ ...saying "Loves me, Loves me not..." until..._ "Loves me..." she whispered._ ...the flower was out of..._ The pain surged once again into her heart. _...petals._ "Ow!" she yelled. She clenched her rose into her chest. Her yell echoed throughout the room. She was so carried away with thinking about her childhood, that she accidentally plucked one of her own petals. _Let's not do that again... That girl pushed me into a hallway... I guess I should-_

"Hello?" Another high-pitched voice came from down the hallway. _Wait... that isn't the painting girl. Her voice is high pitched, but this voice sounds like it's more childish. Oh geez... not another one._ Clair started looking around for something to hide behind and defend herself with. There was a tinted blue vase and a notebook on an auburn desk next to the blue door of the painted girl. There appeared to be water inside the vase. The notebook was identical to the notebook found in the reception desk. Even the ink blot in the centerfold was present. _Hmm... I wonder..._ She placed her thumb on the ink blot and pressed hard on the notebook. Her fingerprint was on the right page. _There... Now I could see if this is the exact same notebook But there's nothing else I can do. This hallway is empty. I guess I should just hide... _Clair crouched behind the desk, and peeked on the side to see who was coming. She had her left hand on the desk, her right hand holding her rose.

A small, tiny figure was approaching the desk. Clair couldn't see her, let alone recognize her. All she heard was tiny tip-taps slowly growing louder and louder. _Crescendo. Great... She's getting closer... Please don't check around the table. _The tip-taps stop. "Hello?" The voice beckoned again. Clair hid behind the desk completely, not wanting to risk being seen.

Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Thud.

"Ow..." The voice cried. "That hurt... I need someone... Help! Anyone? Where is everyone?" The voice cried more. Clair heard this. She placed her now-free palm on her face. _What am I doing? I gotta help. I was treating her like she was another monster. She might be another person trapped in here. I can't do this._ "Hello?" Clair called out. She stood up from behind the table.

A girl, no more than nine years old, with a couple of tears in her beautiful blue eyes, was on the floor. She tripped over a small crack. _Wait... is that my fault? _Clair looked at her nails. _Rough and jagged. Yup. My fault._

Clair walked over to the girl. Grabbing her two arms, Clair picked her up. "Thank you." The girl in the green dress said. Clair began inspecting her. _Let's see... a beautiful green cotton dress, with a blue silk ribbon as a tie... I'm not good at looking at fashion. But those rolled over sleeves revealing white cotton, with brilliantly shining golden buttons. _The girl looked at Clair, looking very puzzled._ A completely clear face, no moles, beauty marks, cuts, scraps, freckles, no imperfections. _"Um... Miss?" _Blonde hair, which is in as good quality as the painted girl... This girl is... is..._

"Perfect." Clair blurted out. The girl only looked more confused. Clair giggled. "Sorry, it's just that you're so pretty. I'm... I'm a little jealous. I wish I could look like that as a child" Clair remarked. The girl began blushing, and yet, she was beaming with complete happiness. "Really? You think so?" The girl asked. "Yes. You are amazing." The girl laughed. "What's your name?" "My name? Oh, my name is Det-" Clair paused. Even though she wanted to declare that she was a detective, she didn't want to just outright say that she was here for a job. At this point, both Clair and the girl were on the same boat. _Oh... wait. The job... Forget it. I just want to get out now. Geez... Too bad though. Next time, I'll get everyone at the station to come on in, so something like this can be avoided. I don't think it's a murderer or a kidnapper here. We're stuck in a mythical place, and we have to find a way out._ "My name is Clair. What's your's?" _She looked at me, with the cutest smile I have ever seen. I think I'm going to like this kid._

"I'm Mary. Nice to meet you!" She giggled and held Clair's hand as they walked down the hallway.

A crash came from right behind them. Clair hid Mary behind her to investigate. The vase with water shattered.


	5. A Bunny's Lament (B)

She loves me.

She flicks the light.

Then, I can see;

She restored my sight.

She loves me not.

I follow her up the stair;

She is who I sought.

But, she is unjust and unfair.

She loves me so

But, on this beautiful day.

I tap, she just says "No."

My heart, she has torn away.

She loves me no more.

So, I just had to run.

She says "One, two, three, four."

I dash out and into the sun.

She loves me enough.

She jumps out of her home,

I tripped. Ouch, that was rough.

Yet, I'll continue to roam.

She loves me, yet,

I give her such agony.

But, she'll catch me, I bet,

Because she such power over me.

She loves me, and I love her.

I can wander wherever I please.

Absolutely nothing can tether

Our love, whether in hardship or in ease.

She loves me, is that a lie?

I just got to know once and for all.

Would she care if me, myself and I

Were trapped, and to her I call?

She loves me, she must!

I found a beautiful place.

No dirt, grime, or dust.

Time to check if she has a second face.

She loves me, but she's gone.

Where did she go?

Despite this game, no one won.

… no no no no no NO!

She loves me.

I miss her more than the sky misses the sun.

On a dark and gloomy day, or as I see,

Her missing all the stuff we did that was fun.

She loves me not.

I'm growing tired and weary.

A fun little game, we both thought.

Now I will perish, in a place, sad and dreary.

She loves me.

She loves me not.

She loves me.

She loves me not.

She loves me.

She loves me not.

She... She loves me...

She... l-loves... me... not...

Sh-she... l-lov-ves... m-me...

Sh... sh... she... l-l-lov... ove...oves... m... m...m-m-m...

...me...

...not.


	6. Invincibility and Mortality (D)

Geez... I hated everything I ever saw after I blacked out.

So, I woke up in a black room, but at least this time I can see. I don't remember much, but I do remember that everything was after me. What the hell? What did I do? The worst part, it was all inanimate objects! I thought at that time someone was trying to strip me of my every God-damned nerve. I was in there to just destroy someone. I don't care if I sound pissed off. I'm dying right now, I don't care.

So what came after me? A better question is what didn't? Let's run down the freaking list, shall we? Dolls, mannequins, statues, fake heads, and that's only what decided to just chase me. My god, I just wanted to destroy them all. And they were everywhere. Gun's out of bullets, and they even stole the jacket that I had. Now I can't go outside. Also, I was not in any mood to be chased like that. I had nothing in my stomach, aside from the crap that the jails decided to serve. By the way, it tastes like crap. Now I just jumbled up everything in my head. See how much I just HATE this place?

So where was I? What a good question, I wish I had the answer. All I remember was going upstairs, exiting a weird looking door, being inside a child's drawing book. Really? A drawing book. I'm really done with... everything! I better not be in a freaking amusement park for little kids... I hate children. I can't stand them. They are annoying. They won't shut up. They take all the resources of a parent, and use it for themselves. It's legal robbery! And I get arrested for trying to do the same thing, claiming that I "threatened to kill a cashier." I was only gonna batter him up enough for him to give me money.

I guess I am a little pissed off after all that garbage I just put up with. Anyways, after wandering around in Disneyland, I finally found the exit. It was blocked by a table with a flower in a vase on top. I just did what any normal rational person would done. I pushed the table over, and watched everything break. I walked over all of that mess and found another set of stairs. Bingo, an exit is here.

Something confused me about that dumb staircase. There are scribbled meteors, or something going around the staircase, and boy, were they messing with the wrong guy. I ran right through, toughing out all the meteors. I was invincible. Nothing in this stupid museum can touch me anymore. After being surprised with these... whatever these things are, nothing has touched me anymore. All these gases? I can hold my breath. Painted jugglers trying to hurt me? I have fast enough reflexes. Vines made of stone that are in the way? You have never seen me jump. Nothing could hurt me. Also, I felt like I was getting closer and closer to that woman. She better be in the same situation as I am as, except I know she isn't doing as well as I am.

However, it's somewhere around the whole stone vine thing where I started to feel a bit fatigued. I was pushing myself to get out, so being tired was a little expected. I remember walking into a room, with nothing but blue dolls with red eyes, with dark pupils. That's probably what I ran into at the beginning of this mess... except a bigger one. Whatever.

There was one thing I saw in this room that made me scream though. And no, it wasn't something scary. It was actually something that really hits you right there. The feels, man. Never used that term in such a long time.

I saw a rabbit, looking at a painting of itself. God, it was beautiful. I always seemed to have such a soft spot for rabbits. I called to the rabbit. "Come here, come here." Almost like instinct, the rabbit just hopped towards me. This rabbit is great. I love her... and that was my thought before picking him up. Whoops.

Anyways, I looked at the painting and looked at the rabbit. Identical. And of course, being a money-hungry thief, I thought that this was some painter dude's inspiration, and why steal the painting when you can steal its basis? Something like that. I know someone's gonna pay me big. Then, I can buy my own rabbit, maybe with a house and a couple of cars, and man, I'll be living the good life.

Sad to say though, both of those wishes were going to die. Three reasons. One, this rabbit really grew onto me. Two, the painting changed drastically right in front of my eye, and looked exactly like that freaking blue face that scared the crap out of me. And three, I might as well be dead. I've been saying like... 5 things over and over. But, at least I got an excuse about talking about my death. If you were dying, but not dead, what would you be thinking? Trying to stay alive? And what if that was impossible? Ta-da, you can't help but to think you're already dead.

Anyways, like I said, the painting changed, and I just ran out of that room faster than anyone has ever ran. Yup. After I slammed the door, I was just backing up, backing up, backing up like a pick-up truck. I was against a wall, and surprisingly, the door stayed closed. Take that, fools. Then, I looked at the rabbit I was holding in my hands.

He didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it. I put the rabbit down, because he shouldn't be held by a guy like me. Call me what you will, this was, is, and always will be, the one thing I have a conscience for. And speaking of consciences, that part comes up... right about now.

I sat down for a bit, and he started hopping around. Hah, he's enjoying himself. But suddenly, someone activated freak-out mode. The rabbit had a lot in him, so he just jumped over the stone vines. Of course, I was impelled to chase.

I jumped over the vines, and scratched my leg in doing so. Gosh darn, chasing him is only gonna get harder. But I shall persevere! I like this bunny. I ran a couple more feet, and I fell over. More pain just... started appearing. Was it that bunny? Nah, it wasn't that. I remember turning around, looking at a little girl smiling at the black flower in her little paws, right next to the vines. She was playing some game where she plucks all those petals on the flower, and finds true love or something. I screamed at the little brat, trying to get her to help me. Instead, she just ran away, after that bunny. Maybe that wasn't so smart.

Still, that act lengthened my life. I hope it lengthened the bunny's life as well. Stupid girl.


	7. Mary's Melancholy (M)

_Wow, what a nice day at the park! The swings! I want to go to the swings!_

"Mommy? Can you push me on the swings?"

"Oh... Okay! Daddy? Can you?"

"... Okay."

_I can't believe they won't push me. Oh well... At least I can still swing._

"Mommy! Daddy! Look at me! Whee!"

_ ... They're not looking... aww... Wait. What's that?_

"Bunny! Come here!"

_Gotcha! I caught the bunny! It's so cute and fluffy, I want him! And look at his eyes! They're red! It's one of my favorite colours! I know! I'll show it to Mommy and Daddy! Then we can take him home!_

"Mommy, what do you mean I can't keep the bunny? Daddy?"

"Really Daddy? Yay!"

_Daddy is the best. I get to keep the bunny!_

"Alright, your new name shall be... Bunny! You're so cute and fluffy! I just want to hug and squeeze you!"

_Okay, maybe I squeezed a little bit too hard... Oh! Bunny is fine!_

"Hey Bunny! Let's play hide-and-seek! Okay?"

_Did he just shake his head yes? This bunny is so smart! We'll be together forever!_

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! Ready or not, here I come!"

_Okay, he's not behind the tree... Is he in the playground?... No, where is he? Oh! He's underneath the park bench! Slowly... Slowly..._

"Gotcha!... Hey, Bunny! Come back to me. Please?... Yay! I love you Bunny, you're the best!"

"... Oh. Okay Mommy, I'm coming! Are we going to the pet store?"

"I'll take good care of him, Mommy. Don't worry. He's my best friend."

"... Okay mom. Umm... Are we going to that cafe?"

"No?... I'm sure the cafe would allow Bunny to stay with us. He's well behaved."

"Fine. I don't care where we go, but I'm staying with Bunny!"

"I thought we were eating out... We aren't? Okay. Then what are we eating at home?"

"Fish? Don't we have pasta or-"

"Okay. Sorry..."

_ ..._

_Mom, why don't you like Bunny? You don't like him so much, you're disliking me because I like him... You... You're terrible mom... It's just not fair!_

"Daddy, I'm fine... No, I most definitely am not crying!..."

"Thank you Daddy. I love you... more than Mommy."

"...I know. Sorry Daddy."

_Daddy is nice. But... I'll try my best to like Mommy too. I'll start tomorrow._

_ ..._

"Bunny, I love you. Let me sing you a little song..."

"You're sleepy, sweet Bunny. Go to sleep, oh, so deep. You're so cute, … Um... La la doot, Go to sleep, Bunny, my sweet."

"Good night, Bunny."

_Hehe... Bunny's whiskers tickled me when I kissed him._

_I'm tired too. Good night, Bunny._

_ ..._

_What was that sound?_

"Hello? Daddy? Mommy?"

"Why Daddy? What's... Mommy?"

"What?"

"Daddy... what's wrong with Mommy?"

"What did you do?"

"A thief?"

"...Oh... Mommy..."

_My Mommy... she's... she's not moving... She's... She's..._

"Daddy..."

_ ..._

"Oh. Hey Bunny. You woke me up... I'll get you some food..."

_I'm starting to feel more alone... Now that... that..._

"Daddy? Where are you... going?"

"I... I'm scared Daddy. I don't want to be alone..."

"Bunny? Okay..."

_Focus on playing with Bunny... Okay, I guess we can play hide-and-seek..._

"Hey Bunny... Do you want to play hide-and-seek?"

"Okay, hold on."

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Ready or not... Here I come..."

_Okay... where is he... what's that sound? Bunny?_

"Bunny? Where are you?... Why are you outside?"

_He tripped! I have to go after him!_

_ This isn't hide and seek! This is tag! Where's he going?_

"Wah!"

_I was almost... almost hit by a car. But... Where's Bunny?_

_ There! He ran through that guy's legs!_

"Sorry! Chasing a bunny!"

_Why is Bunny running away? I thought he was my best friend!_

"Come back here!"

_I don't want to be alone!_

_ Here... Why did he go here?_

"...Ugh! Good."

_I'm happy I could squeeze between these gates..._

"Bunny? Bunny?"

_This room... it's so bright It's nice... But... I... I lost him... But I can't give up!_

_ Maybe he went down this staircase._

_ ..._

_ Where... where am I? Did I fall... asleep? How did I end up in this bed... And why is everything so dark? This bed... black. I can barely see what anything is! I hate the dark!_

_ Hmm... a rose... But it's yellow. I love yellow! I never seen a rose like this. I'll keep it! It's better than this entire room._

"Hello? Anyone?"

_...No one's here. Alone. Again... I hate this place. I think I should just leave... Wait. Where's the stairs?... It's gone..._

"I'm trapped! Help! Anyone!"

_...Please... please, oh _please _be a dream! Maybe if I just go to sleep on this bed..._

_ ..._

_ ... huh? Where am I?... It's another dark room... I'm tired of these rooms. But... I'm not in my bed. I shouldn't have slept. I... need to leave. Bunny..._

"Hello? Anyone there?"

_Still no one. And I'm still... alone... I need to leave._

_ This place... It looks like one of my colouring books. Maybe this place isn't so-_

_ Something sounded like it broke..._

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

S_omeone pushed a table over... And... A black rose in the broken glass... Better be careful with grabbing it..._

_ Got it! I'm going to have a collection of roses when I leave! I don't think anyone's going to be missing them... Oh well. I..._

_ Right... Mom... I'll give these to her... after... her..._

_ Are these... drawn... stars?..._

"Ow!"

_That... that hurt! These... stars... they hurt!_

"Ah! Help! Someone!"

_... Finally... got away from it all..._

"... ugh... I need to get out of here... now!"

"Wah!"

_ I... I want to go home! I don't want to be here anymore..._

"Anyone here? Help!"

_Maybe... maybe if I just... I just walk around._

_ ..._

_ Hm? A piece of paper..._

"The women in here... like to play 'Loves me, loves me not.'"

_I remember that game! I played it with Mommy and Daddy! Aww... now I want to play that game... Hm... Maybe I'll just wait around... just for a little. Which rose should I use? But... should I?_

_ ...I guess I'll give her one rose... but... which rose should I... the yellow rose looks like it's... losing petals. It wouldn't be fun with less petals. I guess I'll use the black rose..._

"Loves me."

"Loves me not."

"Loves me."

"Loves-"

_Huh? What was... is that Bunny? I need to get to..._

"Um..."

_A stranger... after my bunny! _

"Ahh!"

_I... I have to... get away from... him... and..._

_I... have to... run after... Bunny!_

_ I'm... I'm tired of being alone! Bunny is my only friend!_

_ He is the only one I have left..._

_ We will be together!_

_ We will be together forever!_

_ We-_

_ Where... where did he go?_

_ ..._

_ Where... am I?_

_ ...What was that sound? It sounded... like..._

_ ...A scream..._

"Hello?"

_I'm... I'm scared to see but... I... I think it sounded a little like..._

_ ...Mommy._

_ I need to see her... I-_

"Ow..."

_ I fell... again. I have to stop falling... _

_ I'm tired of this... I can't take it anymore..._

"That hurt... I need someone... Help! Anyone? Where is everyone?"

_Huh? Who is that... that lady?_

_ She isn't my Mommy... I..._

_ But... she's helping me._

"Thank you."

_Someone... who's actually helping me! I can't believe-_

_ Why is she looking at me so weirdly?_

"Um... Miss?"

_She's scaring me a little... but... she looks... pretty. I like her dress-_

_ She said... perfect? What?_

_ She... called me pretty... Mommy doesn't say things like that to me. But..._

"Really? You think so?"

_She said I was amazing! I like her... she is better than Mommy..._

"Hehehe... What's your name?"

_She answered me... She's so kind and pretty and amazing and... and amazing!_

_ Clare asked me for my name. That name! It's pretty too!_

"I'm Mary. Nice to meet you! Hehehe..."

_I really like her... I-_

_ Huh? Clare is looking at... more broken glass?_

_ Wait... is that a notebook?_

"Stay here? But... I want to look at the notebook."

"Thank you!"

_I like to draw a lot. And there's some red paint near here... I know exactly what to draw!_

"Clare, Clare! Do you like it?"

"That's us!"

"Gee... Thanks! I'm happy."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your name is C-L-A-I-R? Oh... Sorry."

_I didn't mean to, _Clair_, and not _Clare_._

"Are we going?"

"Okay! Clair? I want to tell you something."

"Thank you."


End file.
